London Calling: Nets, Raptors Play Two Regular Season Games In England

London calling: Nets, Raptors play two regular season games in England
Tue Aug 03,2010 1:45 PM ET By Kurt Helin

london.jpgDavid Stern has been saying he wanted to see some NBA regular season games overseas, and what David Stern wants David Stern gets.

Now it's London calling, so come out of the cupboard, all you boys and girls.

The New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors will play back-to-back games in London March 4 and 5, according to the New York Daily News. Those follow he Lakers/Timberwolves preseason tilt at the O2 arena in London this October.

That's really fucked up. In the middle of the season? I understand at the beginning of the season, but during the season is tough. Ask the NFL players who go there during the season. It takes a few days before your body gets re-adjusted. I hope the NBA allots both teams at least 3 days rest (after coming back from London) before their schedule resumes

I think they chose the Raptors because of their well known international flavor. As for the Nets? Damned if I know... Maybe because of their well known foreign owner? Both teams better get a long break after this back to back showdown. Long plane rides can take a lot out of you. I think this is good for the Raptors because it offer even more exposure to them overseas. I hope this gets foreign kids dreaming of playing for the NBA's only international team.

That's pretty cool, but the league has clearly chosen 2 teams that it assumes will not be in the playoff mix, so wouldn't have their season jeopardized by some mid season jetlag. This could be a pretty epic "road" trip though for the fans...

I think they chose the Raptors because of their well known international flavor. As for the Nets? Damned if I know... Maybe because of their well known foreign owner? Both teams better get a long break after this back to back showdown. Long plane rides can take a lot out of you. I think this is good for the Raptors because it offer even more exposure to them overseas. I hope this gets foreign kids dreaming of playing for the NBA's only international team.

In my opinion they choose the teams because

1. Prokhorov has a lot of business connections in Great Britain and wanted the games there
2. The games have a good chance of being meaningless so they will draw more in London in March then they would in N.J. or Toronto
3. The travel distance from Toronto to London is about 7,000 miles round trip vs say 4,300 from Toronto to Los Angeles so it is like adding almost two additional east coast west coast trips for the Raptors during the year. Not very good for the health of the players who will clearly especially in March feel the physical effects of this trip a lot more than say in October or November. This will increase the likelihood of at least one Raptors or Nets player incurring a significant and possibly career threatening injury sometime in March or April. Of course the Nets players will be equally subject to physical fatigue depending on where they and Toronto were playing before going to London and where they will play upon return. Does Porkorov care?

Stern threw the Raptors under the bus kowtowing to Porkorov's money and influence.

Prokhorov, the charming, brilliant wunderkind is the front man for a ruthless underworld run by the KGB-FSB and its minions in the Russian mafia. Russian oligarchs like Prokhorov, Kalmanovich, Boris Berezovsky, Roman Abramovich, Alexander Lebedev, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky did not become billionaires virtually overnight because of their business acumen and financial genius. They were provided with special privileges and massive state assets to serve a strategic political agenda.

More recently, it has slapped the wrist of Mikhail Prokhorov, a 42-year-old, six-foot-six playboy (and Russia's fourth richest man with a net worth of $13.5 billion) who controls much of Russia's nickel industry. In February the nickel czar was arrested in France in relation to an investigation into an international prostitution ring, but he was released without charges. It seems he had imported a planeload of prostitutes for his Orthodox Christmas party in the French Alps–an indiscretion that is said to have damaged his friendship with Vladimir Putin.

In general, however, the Russian government has not proven up to the task of mob control. As for the future, Jeffrey Robinson, Russian mafia expert and author of The Merger: How Organized Crime is Taking Over The World, conclusively believes that the Russian mafia has hooked up with organized crime syndicates around the world and formed a "wealthy cabal destined to become the most powerful special interest group on earth.

This isn't a game in Italy or Spain or any other country the Raps have ties to. This is taking a home game away from the ACC so that the NBA can call themselves international. This is last year's worst team and a team they assume is going to suck being shipped off in the middle of the season!

I'm OK with it. It's not like they're flying half-way around the world. London's really only a 7-8 hour flight, not that bad compared to 5-6 to Los Angeles. I'm sure the NBA will compensate for it with a couple of 3-day breaks anyway. Players should enjoy all the attention.

It's BS to play the games so late in the season if anything these should be the opening 2 games of the season in order to give the teams enoughs days to recover from the unnecessary trip afterwards. Even though both teams, NJ & TO, look to be out of the playoffs in the East you never know until you play the games. If either team happens to be in the playoff hunt at the time it could jeopardize their playoff chances to play 2 late season games overseas in March.

The Raptors are team international in the NBA, they are an experimental team designed to be an even mix of US and international players roster wise in my mind. Even their current front office & coaching staff was put together to make a go of this international/US roster mix concept. The Raptors went from being a real NBA team to some sort of experimental guinea pig global NBA ideological manifestation under BC's watch.

Does anyone in England, other than say Pops Mensah Bonsu's family, even give a damn about basketball? It would've been nice for at least Spain, Italy or Greece to get the games.

I think it's absolute bullshit that they have to go over there in March. Baseball holds theirs in late March to begin the season over there, and the NBA has preseason games there so why not just keep them an extra week?